As the industry continues to reel from Sony's decision to stop making physical PlayStation games in 2028, some publishers are standing firm in their dedication to discs. Chinese company Astrolabe Games is among these ranks, purportedly planning to continue releasing tangible versions of its games for as long as it's financially viable.
The publisher, known for games like Stories from Sol: The Gun-Dog and BlazBlue Entropy Effect X, said as much in what it calls the A-GO Manifesto, a response to Sony's plans, made public on July 10. Within this document is testament to the glory of owning your games in physical form.
Essentially, everything on the current Astrolabe slate, which runs up to the end of 2027, will be eligible for a run on disc. These runs will, at the very least, be "minimum order," and they'll come out in at least one of the territories Astrolabe distributes to, which are Europe, the United States, and Asia.
Just to clarify, minimum ordering is the baseline for what a manufacturer will allow if you're buying anything wholesale. For instance, wherever Astrolabe gets its circular plastic from might have a minimum order of 5,000. Thus, at least 5,000 copies would be made. This minimum exists to make sure the manufacturer has a sufficient baseline profit margin.
There are no guarantees these discs will reach all three regions, meaning you might have to import a copy if something catches your eye. I suspect Asia will be prioritized since it's where the company is based, but plenty of collectors will be used to shelling out extra for certain games.
Likewise, Astrolabe makes a few exceptions. For example, if "new policies" make disc-creation impossible, the devs don't lock down a releasable version by deadline, or if distribution channels are already at capacity by the time of release. Once 2028 rolls around, the barrier then becomes Sony's non-existent pipeline for discs, too.
In a tweet on July 1, the publisher said it will "continue till the last day," when it comes to making game discs.
"Physical games are more than simple products - they are lasting testaments to the passion, artistry, and countless hours developers pour into their craft," Astrolabe founder Jokery Zhou says in a statement. "The A-GO Manifesto is our promise to players and developers alike: give it A GO, and so will we."
Three games are already confirmed: Gurei, Fall Up, and Omega Phenex Commended Project Six. Expect more to follow in the months ahead.
